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Today we received a question about Nintendo's upcoming console release, Wii U, with GeekWire reader Alex wondering why the company continues to release new peripherals for a console that's seen better days.

Question: What's up with the Wii U? Why is Nintendo releasing yet another expensive peripheral for the aging Wii?

Nintendo originally announced Wii U in June 2011 in a vague manner, leaving much of the pertinent details left to the imagination. Because of this, many assumed that Wii U was the name of the new tablet-esque controller, and that it would interface with the Wii console that originally hit stores in November 2006. Thankfully, nothing could be further from the truth.

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Check out the video below for Super Modern Mario Bros. It's a novel concept dreamed up by a gamer, removing a lot of the cutesy Mario-ness, dialing up the level of seriousness by removing the music and adding realistic sound effects. It’s a bit more violent, too, with Goombas exploding and Mario crashing to his untimely demise when he leaps towards the end-of-level flag and fails to successfully grab hold and slide down. Look, just watch it--it's way more fun than reading our description!

If you thought Nintendo wasn't serious about bringing more than just video games over to the Wii U console, think again. This morning during its E3 Media Briefing, Nintendo announced four popular streaming video options that'll be available on Wii U at launch: Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video. That's not all, though. While you'll be able to watch content from these four service, Nintendo also announced plans for a dual-screen experience with each one. Imagine, for example, that while watching a movie on Netflix, you could pull up all sorts of related content, facts, maps, and other information about that movie on the Wii U GamePad when it launches later this year. Could be interesting, and it sounds a lot like Xbox SmartGlass.

It's official, folks! This morning at the Nintendo E3 Media Briefing, the company confirmed that Wii U will hit stores this holiday season. No specific price or date was given, but we're guessing that it'll cost about $400 sometime in November. In addition, NintendoLand (the title that will be to Wii U what Wii Sports was to the original Wii) will be available on launch day.

During the Nintendo E3 Media Briefing, it was casually mentioned that the Wii U console will be able to support up to two GamePad accessories at the same time. It's nice to know that some games will be able to allow two players to use the more advanced features that the GamePad has to offer, but there is one catch: when using two GamePads, the frame rate of the Wii U will drop to 30 frames per second. It's not horrible, but it is a performance decrease, so it should be noted. You'll also be able to turn off the second GamePad and get that performance back on the fly.

Nintendo just finished presenting its annual E3 Media Briefing, and they went all out on letting us know about the games that'll be coming to the Wii U console. In addition, the company put together a video tour of the Wii U GamePad itself, allowing gamers to learn more about the unique peripheral and all it can do. Get a look at the video above.

The Aqua Blue Nintendo 3DS. An odd color choice for the launch of a new gaming handheld, sure. However, we didn't think it was so bad that it was time to kill it. Regardless of what we think, though, Nintendo is set to put the Aqua Blue 3DS out to pasture soon. No specific date has been given, but with all the other 3DS colors that Nintendo's pumping out, we're geussing that the turquiose one has proven to be pretty unpopular in the grand scheme of things. Want one? Better get it while you can!

The Nintendo 3DS sales information is in, and the numbers are astounding. 4.5 million units have been sold in the United States over the past 12 months, and the console was Nintendo’s best-selling in Japan in its first year. It's is also the best-selling Nintendo console in the U.S. as well, after initially being seen as a flop, resulting in a massive price cut soon after it launched. The price drop certainly worked, as the 3DS has even outsold the incredibly popular Nintendo DS, which in its first year sold "just" 2.3 million units. Have you picked up a Nintendo 3DS yet? Hit us in the comments with your thoughts.

Ahh Nintendo, rarely an innovator, often an imitator. At least that can be said about the company’s next online “innovative” venture. The company is looking to various media service providers in order to kick off the Wii U release later this year with a bang. Like the Xbox 360, Nintendo has every intention of collecting as many service providers as it can in order to try to replace your cable or satellite box with the console. Nintendo is currently in talks with several ‘top content’ companies, possibly including Comcast, to become a cable TV provider alongside or after the Wii U launch.

Currently there are no official statements from Nintendo as to what content we can expect to see with the Wii U. What we do know is that Nintendo has announced that the Wii will soon be receiving Hulu compatibility.